AMES, Ia. — Iowa State fans are passionate about Matt Campbell, I see and I hear. And what’s not to be passionate about?

The Associated Press 25th-ranked football team he’s coached so well is playing for a piece of first place in the Big 12 during Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. game against unbeaten TCU to be aired on either ABC or ESPN2, depending on where you live.

It’s the biggest game at Jack Trice Stadium since Colorado (and the tornado) came to town in 2005.

With success comes fan concern, though, and that’s something that’s boiling right now from people who might be forgetting that Campbell’s contractual buyout if he leaves after this season is in the $8.5 million range — and that includes $800,000 annually for his supplemental benefit plan that the university pays.

Iowa State's Kyle Kempt (17) runs to the goalline against Texas Tech, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. Officials ruled that Kempt stepped out of bounds on the play, but replays appeared to show him in bounds en route to the end zone.
Brad Tollefson/AP

Iowa State's Marchie Murdock (16) runs the ball down the field during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Texas Tech, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.
Brad Tollefson/AP

Iowa State's Kyle Kempt (17) passes the ball against Texas Tech during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.
Brad Tollefson/AP

Texas Tech defensive back Vaughnte Dorsey interferes with Iowa State wide receiver Hakeem Butler in the second quarter giving Iowa a first down during an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.
Mark Rogers/AP

Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Kyle Kempt (17) looks to the sidelines for a play in the game with the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium.
Michael C. Johnson, Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

It’s to be expected, and I’m sure everyone that complained about what college football’s top college football analyst had fired off had already purchased tickets for Saturday’s game.

Right?

Hopefully, they won’t be evacuated for 40 minutes like they were before the last biggest game that Jack Trice Stadium hosted.

Saturday’s game is already huge, big and whatever else you want to call it — without the tornado stadium-clearing deja vu of keeping everyone safe like on that day a dozen years ago.

“It was a phenomenal atmosphere for that game,” then-ISU coach Dan McCarney told me Sunday evening. “The tornado warning — all it did was it gave our fans more time to get energized.”

Saturday is the first time ranked teams have faced each other at The Jack since the No. 19 Cyclones beat 20th-ranked Nebraska, 36-14, on Sept. 28, 2002.

Conference title implications? The possibility of being tied for first after five games (with four left) isn’t bad for a program that’s finished ninth, ninth, 10th, seventh, ninth and eighth the past six seasons.

And there’s also that matter of a ranking to protect... and a bowl bid to secure.

“I’ll be honest, I had no reaction,” Campbell said Monday when asked about being 25th. “Those are things you want to have after the season.

“That’s what makes college football really hard — and that’s why people don’t stay in that poll — because they do react to it, and because they have reactions to it.

“It’s great for the school. It’s great for everybody to talk about. But the guys on the team and the staff couldn’t care less.”

But, yes, it’s the biggest game in Ames since fans, teams and everyone else in the stadium scurried for cover back in 2005. The Cyclones won, 30-16, and moved one win away from repeating as North champs.

“After the game, (Colorado coach) Gary Barnett accused me of causing the tornado,” McCarney said. “It was like a Cyclone had struck.”

“I remember telling Jamie, Matt and my wife that this was going to be a fun year for Iowa State football,” McCarney said. “The improvement from when I was there a season ago, to when I was there in August — you could see it. It was apparent.

“The relationship with players and coaches — when you build a family like that, magic can happen. It just felt different and sounded different than a year ago."

“In any operation where you’re going to put a bunch of people and philosophies together, there’s got to be a common goal,” Campbell said. “Everybody that touches the program has to be aligned to that — players, coaches, academic staff, athletic training staff and the equipment staff.

“We’ve aligned a vision of where we want this program to go, and everybody is held accountable to that. You’re either with us and you’re aligned to it, or you start to really stick out like a sore thumb.”

And so far, no thumbs are sore.

“In 2005, we had that great chemistry. Everyone wants it. Everybody talks about it, but not everybody gets it. We had it in 2005, and Matt’s team has it now.”

Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson has been with the Register for parts of five decades. Randy writes opinion and analysis of Iowa State football and basketball. You can reach Randy at rpeterson@dmreg.com or on Twitter at @RandyPete.